Big Cottonwood Creek

Big Cottonwood Creek
Big Cottonwood Creek near Big Cottonwood Park
Little Cottonwood Creek and other Salt Lake County streams
Location
Country	United States
State	Utah
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Brighton, Utah, Salt Lake County, Utah
• coordinates	40°36′0″N 111°35′0″W / 40.60000°N 111.58333°W / 40.60000; -111.58333
• elevation	9,600 ft (2,900 m)[1]
Mouth	Jordan River
• location	Murray, Utah, Salt Lake County, Utah
• coordinates	40°40′47″N 111°54′42″W / 40.67972°N 111.91167°W / 40.67972; -111.91167
• elevation	4,250 ft (1,300 m)[1]
Length	26 mi (42 km)[2]
Basin size	43 sq mi (110 km2)[2]
Discharge
• location	Murray, Utah[2]
• average	31.3 cu ft/s (0.89 m3/s)[2]
• minimum	5.0 cu ft/s (0.14 m3/s)
• maximum	380 cu ft/s (11 m3/s)

Big Cottonwood Creek is located in the Wasatch Mountains just east of Salt Lake City. It is part of the Big Cottonwood Creek Watershed, which ranges in elevation from 5,000 to 10,500 feet with the headwaters around 9,600 feet.^[3] The creek flows through the Big Cottonwood Canyon in a westerly direction until it emerges into Salt Lake Valley about eighteen miles (29 km) from its highest source. Thence its course is northwesterly through Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, and Murray, Utah for a little over twenty-four miles from the headwaters (39 km) until it empties into the Jordan River about five miles (8.0 km) south of Salt Lake City.^[3] The water eventually flows into the Great Salt Lake. In the summer, its waters are all used for irrigation purposes. From its source to its original outlet in the Jordan River is about twenty-six miles.^[4]